Canaan as occupied by Israel was entirely different from any nation, ancient or modern. As such, it has no relevance for the political justification of war. We will list Israel’s occupation of Canaan here, then discuss each one separately in successive blogs.
- The promised land was a gift from God.
- The promised land was bound with the covenant.
- The promised land was for the purpose of God.
- The promised land was obtained by God’s power.
- The promised land was protected only by God.
- The promised.land was only for God’s people.
- The promised land was not God’s final destiny.
Regarding point 1. above: Yes, I am aware that land was only for God’s people. We humans are often pressured to give gifts. This did not happen with God, creator and owner of the universe. God promised the land to Abraham and his faithful descendants; God repeated that promise many times despite Israel’s faithlessness. The Land was a gift from the heart of the loving Owner, not a privilege or right by the landless Israelites who did not even exist when the land was promised by God.
We will mention other feature of the promised land in future blogs.